Improved car-coupling



c'. HoLTz.

l Car Couplng. No.. 58,418. Patented oct. 2.1866.4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL HoLTz, or cHIcAeo, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVED CAR-COUPLING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58.4.18, dated October 2,. 1866.

The nature ofmy invention consists in pro viding one end of railroad-cars with adjustable or yielding bumpers, so that when the cars are run together the contact causes said bumpers to recede, and thereby by suitable connections to raise up the coupling-pin to allow the -link to enter the recess in the draw-head, and

when the pressure upon said draw-head is released the said coupling-pin drops through the link and couples the cars as desired.

To enable those skilled in the art to understand how to construct and use my said invention, I will now proceed to describe the same with partieularit-y, making reference in so doing to the aforesaid drawings, in which- Figure l represents a side elevation of my invention 5 Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view or elevation thereof, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts of my invention.

A is intended to represent a passenger-car with my invention attached, and B a freightcar, O representing' a platform, which must be kept clear in the case of the passenger-car, while it is not necessaryin case of the freightcar, the only difference in the two cases being the different arrangement of the devices for uncoupling the cars, which in one case is upon the platform, and in the other case is arranged beneath, as shown in Fig. 1. D represents the aforesaid bumpers projecting from the end of the car, as shown, their rear ends being attached to an adjustable transverse block or bar, (marked E and shown in Fig. 4,) behind which are arranged suitable springs, as shown, so that pressure upon said bumpers causes said block E to recede, while the springs aforesaid throw the said movable bar E forward to its original position, whenA the pressure upon said bumpers is removed.

F represents a draw-head provided with a suitable recess to receive the coupling-link G, and being arranged in connection with a rubber block or spring, or any other suitable spring, (marked R,) so that the sudden concussion or shock which would otherwise occur in starting the train is obvia-ted.

At the Iniddle point in the movable transverse bar E there projects up through a suitable slotin the draw-head, as shown, a pin, (marked (1,) whose upper end enters a hole in the reciprocating sliding bar o, arranged upon the top of the draw-head, as shown in Fig. 4. At the outer end of said sliding bar is pivoted one end of a bent lever, b, which has its fulcrum at b', and is pivotcd at its opposite end to the upper end of the couplin g-pin a, as shown. By this arrangement it will readily be seen that as the contact of the oars in running together forces back the block E, the pin d draws back the sliding bar o, and thus, by means of the lever b, raises up the couplingpin and allows the coupling-link to enter the recess in the draw-head as desired, and upon the cars moving forward and releasing the pressure from the bumpers thespringsS throw the said pin back through said link and secure the cars together.

T represents a spring placed behind the mov able block,in the recess in which the opposite end of the couplinglink G rests, to allow the link to recede within said recess, in case it should not enter the draw-head F at first, until it should be fairly entered therein, as desired. Upon the upper side of the aforesaid sliding1 bar c is attached a projection, (marked 6,) as seen in Fig. 4.

Upon freight-cars a transverse shaft,f, provided with a hook, g, is arranged across the platform, having arms H upon said shaft at each side of the car, the ends of said arms being connected by a cord passing over the ear, as shown, (marked I,) so that a person upon the top of the ear, by raising up said cord, may

uncouple the cars at pleasure, or in case of impending accident. In such case the hook g acts ,upon the projection e, so as to raise said bar up from the pin d and draw it back sufciently to raise the pin a and uncouple the cars.

The object of raising the bar c up. from the pin d is to allow the said bar to move back independently of the movable block E, the sprin g h operating to throW said bar c back into position When the pressure of the hook g is removed.

In passenger-cars, from the necessity of keepin g the platform clear, the shaft j' is arranged beneath the car, the cord I passing up into the car, so that any one may upon the approach of danger uncouple the cars. y

The connection With the coupling-pin a is effected by the jointed arm 7c3' and the lever J, as shown in Fig. 1.

Having described my invention, I will now specify what I claim and desire to secure by alent,in combination with the coupling-pin, that said pin is caused or permitted to drop throughthe coupling-link to couple the cars When pressure upon the aforesaid bumpers is removed. t

3. 'Ihe combination of the bumpers D, the movable bar E, the pin d, sliding bar c, bent lever b, and coupling-pin a, arranged and operatin g substantially as specified and shown.

4. The combination and arrangement of the bumpers D, cross-bar E, springs S, pin d, slide c, lever b, and pin a, operating substantially 

